Lowtide Sailing School
Learn to Sail, From First Knot to Open Water
Free guides from IYT certified instructors with 50,000+ sea miles. Start here, learn the fundamentals, and follow the path from complete beginner to certified captain.
Start Here
Choose Your Course Heading
Four paths through everything we teach. Pick the one that matches where you are today.
Sailing Basics
Terminology, points of sail, and the fundamentals every sailor learns first.
Start learning →
Get Certified
IYT certifications explained: what they cost, what they prove, and which one you need.
See the path →
Charter Prep
Planning your first bareboat charter? Everything to know before you cast off.
Get ready →
Destinations
The waters we sail: Caribbean, Mediterranean, Croatia, Greece, Tahiti and beyond.
Explore →The Path
Zero Experience to Certified Captain
Three courses. Each earns an internationally recognized IYT certification, and each builds on the last.
Intro to Sailing
IYT International Crew – 3 daysZero experience required. Learn the fundamentals as working crew on a real yacht.
Day Skipper
IYT Day Skipper – 4 daysTake the helm. Skipper a yacht on day passages with confidence.
Become the Captain
IYT Bareboat Skipper + ICC + VHF – 7 daysCharter yachts up to 60 feet anywhere in the world. No instructor required.
Featured Guides
Most Popular Reading
Sailing Lessons for Adults
How complete beginners go from zero experience to certified captain, and what the path actually looks like.
IYT Sailing Certification for Beginners
What IYT is, how its certifications stack, and how to earn your first one in a week.
The Bareboat Skipper Course
What you will learn, and why this certification is your ticket to chartering yachts worldwide.
Ready to Feel the Wind?
Courses run year round in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and beyond. No experience needed, solo travelers welcome.